Officials as well as cultural and concerned personalities today gathered at the Beirut based UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) to listen to school children appealing to promote road safety in Lebanon and the Arab world.
The ceremony was intended to launch a three-day workshop organized by ESCWA on Road Safety under the umbrella of the 3rd UN Global Road Safety Week, and under the auspices of the Lebanese Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Mr. Nohad El Mashnouk.
The ceremony, which was opened by actress Carmen Lebbos, ESCWA public figure on the subject, saw a touching statement by media figure Wissam Breidi. It also witnessed statements by Dr. Hala Sakr on behalf of Dr. Haifa Madi, Director of Health Protection and Promotion of the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean of the World Health Organization (WHO); ESCWA Deputy Executive Secretary Nadim Khoury who spoke on behalf of Executive Secretary Rima Khalaf; and Brigadier Georges Lattouf who delivered the statement of Minister El Mashnouk.
Speakers described the precious human resource losses caused by road accidents in the Arab region and the Mediterranean, and expressed solidarity with efforts and commitments undertaken by governmental and non-governmental institutions to save millions of lives in the years to come at the national, regional and international levels. They stressed the importance of this timely gathering and in a venue like Beirut where the government is extending all efforts to implement a new law intended to promote road safety, which has always been the concern of ESCWA and the United Nations in their programs, meetings and conferences.
Following the opening ceremony, attending personalities signed the “Child Declaration on Road Safety” and opened a joint exhibition by students from the School of Agriculture in the Lebanese University; Université Saint Joseph; Lebanese Internal Security Forces; YASA; Kunhadi Association; Roads for Life; Lebanese Red Cross; and ESCWA.
On Friday, the event will close with a graduation ceremony for students from Université Saint Joseph majoring in Road Safety; a pioneer program undertaken by this educational institution.
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